Availability and Usage of Modern Office Technology on the Job Performance of an Office Managers in a Contemporary Organisation

Abstract

The efficiency and effectiveness of the Office Manager in a contemporary organization is a product of the availability of office technologies and the application of skills and competencies of the Office Manager. The role of Office Managers in business has changed tremendously as a result of constant changes in office technology. It is not uncommon to find some organizations still subjecting Office Managers to the use of manual typewriters, traditional ways of records management (paper filing) etc. When Office Managers are not provided with efficient and effective contemporary working tools, productivity is definitely bound to be low. Thus this paper considered the availability and usage of modern office technology by Office Managers and how it affects their job performance. Based on a survey of 90 randomly selected Office Managers from 6 different contemporary organizations were used for the study. 3 validated instrument Modern Office Technology Availability (MOTA), Modern Office Technology and Secretary’s Usage (MOTSU) and Modern Office Technology and Secretary’s Productivity (MOTSP) were adapted, modified and used for the study. Weighted mean was used in analysing the data collected. The findings of the study revealed that the productivity (efficiency and effectiveness) of the Office Manager is related to and determined by the availability and usage of modern office technological gadgets. It was then recommended among others that contemporary organizations should be technologically compliant in the purchase of office machines and equipment and that Office Managers should be trained and re-trained in the use of modern office machines and equipment so as to increase their knowledge level and output.